Product Information

Publisher's Description

We want more. More peace. More excitement. More romance. More free time. More chocolate . . .

Our cravings are written into our DNA. Theyre influenced by our childhood experiences. Theyre driving the choices we make as adults. And often, theyre keeping us hungry. Never satisfied. Ever searching.

What do they mean? What are we to do with them? Should we feel guilty? Are there solutions?

Counselor and author Marilyn Meberg knows all about cravings. She also knows the One who knit us together, desires and all. With wit and compassion, Marilyn helps us understand our appetites, offers advice for managing them here on earth, and encourages us to eagerly await the day when we will find total satisfaction in heaven.

In the meantime, Constantly Craving is an excellent reminder that our desires for more can lead us to the One we really need, the only One who will quench our thirst forever. Really? Really!

Author Bio

Marilyn Meberg is a captivating speaker, a coauthor of various Women of Faith devotionals, and the author of "Id Rather Be Laughing and Choosing the Amusing." She lives in Frisco, TX.

Author Profile

At first glance, you might think Marilyn was a serious, wise, well-educated counselor. (And youd be right!) But she's also prone to break into giggles at the slightest provocation and tell stories you'll still be laughing over years from now. With the weight of not one, but two Masters' degrees behind her, Marilyn tackles the most difficult subjects with aplomb. Her biblically-based brand of common sense and good humor is cherished by women across the continent. Marilyn claims California as home but has been on what she calls an "extended visit" to Texas since 2005.

This book made me look into myself and understand myself better, and that's why I loved it.

It is so true that we are constantly craving something, whether we know what that something is (something sweet to eat, a hug, a kiss, laughter, feeling safe, a new dres and so on) or we don't know what that something is. We just crave something.

Now, this book, doesn't come out right and tell you, that something you need is God and He will fulfill you and you won't want for anything any more. I know that. You know that. The thing is, how do you get to the place where you are full and fulfilled? Knowledge isn't enough. It just isn't.

It's how you live that matters.

So this book began at the beginning. And the beginning is myself.

It taught me things about myself that I didn't know, like where all this craving comes from. Its origin and what formed it so that I'll need this and not that. This was very helpful to me.

Sometimes this book read a little too simplistically, and I had to roll my eyes. But these times were not too often, and I took so much from it that I can easily overlook these grandmotherly passages.

Constantly Craving by Marilyn Meberg is the latest book that I've received from Thomas Nelson for reviewing.

There's been a lot of books with themes of cravings... mostly along the lines of following God and not our flesh. This is not one of those books.

This is a book that discusses many of the areas where we always find ourselves wanting more no matter how much we have. It doesn't get into things like addictions or personal weaknesses, these are areas that everyone tends to feel, like relationships.

But rather than go the route of beating ourselves up over these cravings, or being a how-to on trying to make them stop, Marilyn shows them simply as being signs pointing to the fact that we are made for more than just the human experience.

It's a fun read, and has a lot of stories and real life examples... but the whole different approach towards the topic of cravings was really what stood out to me. It's so much of a change to have a discussion of the topic that doesn't totally revolve around trying to make cravings go away.

I can overcome my own Constant Cravings... It is a very good book to read. It is very easy to read and follow along. I felt that each chapter was very explained and thorough until this was approached. This book is filled with scripture to back up every point she makes in a way that gently guides us to the source of Life- Jesus. This book has a very good sense of inspiration, its been in and out of my little bookshelves. I would have to say that this is a must read book to everyone. It was encouraging to have an author address so many aspects where we often feel we're the only ones wanting more! It was a shot of head in me, I want more and it ruin my life. It was terrible. The more I have the more I want. Its just endless... You have to read this now!

As someone who has heard and enjoys hearing Marilyn Meberg speak I was excited when I saw this book and wondered what was behind the title. Was about to discover how to put a stop to some things?

What I wanted was really to find out how to STOP some constant cravings. That is not what I found.

From the very beginning in chapter one it states that the book is about "recognizing and giving a name to the itch, the quest, the craving for a "MORE" experience...".

I found the book easy to read and understand. There were many statements that provoked my thinking and caused me to do some evaluating concerning why I crave certain things and provided insight into how to deal with my cravings constructively.

Overall the book relates the idea that all our cravings lead us to the God who created us and that He can and will satisfying the cravings we have.

There is no "fix" in this book but you will find some knowledge and understanding.

This book was provided to me as a courtesy by BOOKSNEEZE and the opinions are my own.

Marilyn Meberg has a background as an English teacher and as a counselor. It shows. This book reads like a psychology/literature class about why we want more out of life. She hosts the discussion like a fun and quirky, but nevertheless scholarly, professor. It's not really a Biblical study on the issue of craving. While she talks about God, she doesn't really draw lessons from Scripture. Mostly her stories and teaching emerge from personal experience, people she's met, literature, and psychological research.

There's a run of books right now about craving food and other idols we set up in our lives as we try to fill voids and find satisfaction apart from Christ. If that's what you're looking for, I'd suggest you keep searching. Meberg even tells you at the end that she avoided all of the commonly talked about cravings and deep hungers that lead to addiction. So, how much you enjoy this book will likely depend on what you expected when you picked it up.

With an emphasis on the craving for more in our relationships like our marriages and friendships, this book will most likely benefit those struggling in these areas. Meberg talks about issues like the way our childhood impacts what we long for as adults and how we carry those expectations into future interactions with others.

It is interesting to see how she talks, not just about the stereotypical cravings that drive us to idolatry and addiction, but perhaps cravings we should fuel and feed---and healthy ways to do just that. Why do we crave more out of friendship and how can we be that kind of friend? Why do we crave solitude and how do you achieve it? Even more interesting perhaps is the question--what do we do if we don' t crave solitude? How do we still achieve times of quiet with the Lord?

I also enjoyed the reminder to just relax and laugh sometimes. I have a tendency to take myself too seriously and to treat my every mistake as a sign of serious character flaws. She has a way of laughing at forgetfulness and misplaced keys and moving right along. Am I clumsy and forgetful? You betcha. Time to get over that and move on to more important things.

Again, enjoying this book depends so much on what you expect when you pick it up and whether or not her particular style of writing from a psychology and literature background are your cup of tea.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."